Islamic Calendar

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This Calendar is based on lunar calculations from Mecca. Download daily 5-times a day prayer timing Azaan (Athaan) software by
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The Islamic Calendar, which is based purely on lunar cycles, was first introduced in
638 A.D. by the close companion of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and
the Second Caliph, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (592-644 A.D.). He (May ALLAH be pleased with
him) did it in an attempt to rationalize the various, and at times conflicting, dating
systems used during his time.

`Umar consulted with his advisors on the starting date of the new Muslim chronology. It
was finally agreed that the most appropriate reference point for the Islamic calendar was
the Hijrah. The Hijrah, which chronicles the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from
Makkah to Madinah in September 622 A.D., is the central historical event of early Islam.
It led to the foundation of the first Muslim city-state, a turning point in Islamic and
world history.

The Islamic (Hijri) Calendar consists of 12 months, starting with Muharram and ending
with Zul-Hijja. The sequence of Hijri months are listed below :-

1st Month - Muharram

2nd Month - Safar

3rd Month - Rabi-Ul-Awwal

4th Month - Rabi-Ul-Akhir

5th Month - Jumada-Awwal

6th Month - Jumada-Akhir

7th Month - Rajab

8th Month - Sha`baan

9th Month - Ramadhan

10th Month - Shawwaal

11th Month - Zul-Qaidah

12th Month - Zul-Hijjah

Almighty ALLAH says in the Holy Quran :-

"The number of months in the sight of ALLAH is twelve (in a
year), so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are
sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein, and fight the Pagans
all together as they fight you all together. But know that ALLAH is with those who
restrain themselves." (At-Tauba / 36)

Furthermore, Almighty ALLAH, the Lord of the Universe, refers to the lunar cycles as
follows :-

"It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory and the
moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for it; that ye might know the
number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did ALLAH create this but in truth and
righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand."
(Yunus / 5)

Each of the Hijri month has its own SIGNIFICANCE and bears testimony to
IMPORTANT events in the Biography of the Life of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad (Peace
and Blessings be upon him). They serve as a reminder to Muslims (men and women) of the
STRUGGLE of the Blessed Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) to accomplish his task
of conveying the MESSAGE of ISLAM (Submission to ALLAH). Moreover, the Hijri months are
closely linked with the SUNNAH (tradition) of Muhammad (Peace and Blesings be upon him)
and his TEACHINGS to Mankind.

There is no doubt that anyone who believes in Almighty ALLAH and His Last Messenger,
Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) has at heart the observance of the
SUNNAH (tradition) of the Blessed Prophet, as concerns the events in each of the
Hijri month. This observance is indeed a great FAVOUR that Almighty ALLAH has
bestowed on believers in order to mould the life of the muslim.

A list of important events in the Islamic (Hijri) Calendar is
given below :-

Hijra Date

Description of Event

Muharram

1

New Islamic Year

10

Day of Ashurah

Safar

1

Start of Month

27

Hijra from Makka to Madina

Rabi-Ul-Awwal

1

Start of Month

8

Arrival at Quba

12

Arrival at Madina
Birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Rabi-Ul-Akhir

1

Start of Month

Jumada-Awwal

1

Start of Month

Jumada-Akhir

1

Start of Month

Rajab

1

Start of Month

27

Isra' and Mi'raj

Sha'baan

1

Start of Month

Ramadhan

1

Start of Month

17

Battle of Badr

21

First Revelation in Hira
Conquest of Makkah

27

Lailat-Ul-Qadr

Shawwaal

1

Eid-Ul-Fitr

6

Battle of Uhud

10

Battle of Hunayn

Zul-Qaidah

1

Start of Month

17

Battle of Al-Ahzab

Zul-Hijjah

1

Start of Month

8

Start of Hajj

9

Day of Arafat

10

Eid-Ul-Adha

11

Great Aqabah Pledge

12

13

Public Holidays and Bank Holidays forPakistan

This list of 2005
and 2006 bank holidays, national holidays, legal holidays and public holidays
for Pakistan, was generated using holidays recurrence rules that were last revised on
July 27, 2005.

2005

2006

Holiday Name

Observance*

Rule Type**

Fri Jan 21 (h)

Jan 2006 (d)

Eid al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) (3 days)

Muslim (2)

Thu Feb10

Jan 2006

Islamic New Year

Other + Muslim

Muslim (2)

Fri Feb 18 (h)

Feb 2006

Ashura (2 days)

Muslim (2)

Wed Mar 23

Mar 2006

Pakistan Day

Thu Apr 21

Apr 2006

The Prophet's Birthday

Muslim (2)

Sun May 1 (f)

May 2006

May Day

Sun Aug 14 (f)

Aug 2006

Independence Day

Tue Sep 6

Sep 2006

Defense Day

Sun Sep 11 (f)

Sep 2006

Death of Quaid-i-Azam

Tue Oct 4

Sep 2006

Start of Ramadan (Not a holiday)

Other + Muslim

Muslim (2)

Thu Nov 3

Oct 2006

Eid al Fitr (End of Ramadan) (2 days)

Muslim (2)

Wed Nov 9

Nov 2006

Allama Iqbal Day (National Poet)

Sun Dec 25 (f)

Dec 2006

Quaid-i-Azam's Birthday

(h)

Dec 2006 (d)

Eid al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) (3 days)

Muslim (2)

Disclaimer

While every effort
has been made to present an accurate list of 2005 and 2006 bank holidays,
legal holidays and public holidays for Pakistan, we cannot accept any
responsibility for any error or omission in the data presented above. Some of the bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays for Pakistan are based on calendars whose determination is inherently approximate, as described in the footnotes below, which we strongly urge you to read.
In addition, in many parts of the world, holidays are subject to arbitrary, last
minute, changes by the local authorities and you are therefore advised to verify
the above dates with the embassy or consulate of Pakistan, before planning any
trip to Pakistan. You should also read all the specific comments and footnotes
below, as well as the general footnotes whose links appear to the left of this
page. Finally, the dates on this page were calculated using recurrence rules that were
found to match available data on July 27, 2005; they are neither
official announcements for the future, nor historical record of the past.

Specific comments on bank and public
holidays in Pakistan

Additional information is available, free of charge, concerning the occurrence of bank holidays, public holidays and legal holidays in Pakistan. This information usually relates to the observance of regional holidays in Pakistan, or what happens when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or any recent, or upcoming, change to the rules for holidays in Pakistan.

Footnotes

* Observance : Any entry in the Observance column indicates that, in Pakistan, the holiday may be regional or non-official or limited to certain religious and/or linguistic groups, or begin at a time other than midnight.

** Religious Holidays : Bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays based on certain religious calendars are subject to local variations due to differing interpretations between different religious authorities, or to seemingly arbitrary changes in the date a holiday is celebrated because it conflicts with another holiday that is based on another calendar, or because the day of the holiday is deemed inauspicious (bad luck), To find out more about these uncertainties, see the specific footnote, if any, for each holiday.

(2) Muslim Holidays : Muslim bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays for Pakistan were evaluated using the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia which is used in Saudi Arabia and in most of the Persian Gulf States. Holidays may occur a day later in countries outside the Gulf region. The sunrises, sunsets, moon phases, moonrises and moonsets used in these calculations are based on the location of Mecca (latitude 21.42°N, longitude, 39.82°E, GMT+3 hours, no summer time rules).

(d) Duplicated Holidays : Holiday occurs more than once in 2006.

(f) Sundays : The fact that the date displayed above is a Sunday means that there is no reliable official rule concerning bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays that occur on a Sunday in Pakistan. Individuals and/or businesses may still choose to take this holiday on the following Monday, regardless of the official national policy, or lack thereof.For more details,
contact us.

(h) Fridays (Muslim) : Muslim holidays that occur on a Friday may, in Pakistan, be observed on the following Saturday, either officially, or by some individuals and/or businesses independently of any official national policy regarding bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays.